No matter what your musical preferences are, Washington, D.C. has something for you. Home to symphony orchestras and opera companies, as well countless smaller venues hosting a wide variety of musical genres, the city is an exciting hotbed of musical talent. Visitors will have no trouble finding musical entertainment.
Historically, Washington, D.C. has played a role in the development of almost every distinctly American musical genre, from ragtime to jazz, rock, country, and hip-hop. The city's central location on the east coast has always made it a unique musical melting pot.
Born and raised in D.C., composer John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) pioneered the sound of our nation's military music. He wrote many tunes now instantly recognizable to American ears, such as "Semper Fidelis," "The Liberty Bell March," and "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
To hear performances of works by Sousa, as well as by many others, the United States Marine Band is a good place to start. Founded in 1798 by an act of Congress, it's the nation's oldest professional music organization. The U.S. Marine Band is also known as "The President's Own," regularly performing at presidential functions. However, to hear the band perform, it's not necessary to have friends at the White House. Visitors to D.C. can catch year-round, public performances by the U.S. Marine Band. The best deal in town is during the summer months, when you can head over to the West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol at 8:00 p.m. to catch a free, outdoor performance.
Not long after Sousa composed his famous works, the nation was swept by the new American musical genres of jazz and blues, which were celebrated and developed by D.C.'s large African American community. D.C. native Duke Ellington, one of the most famous and respected jazz composers of the 20th century, began his career here. Many of the clubs where Ellington honed his craft still exist in the city's historic U Street neighborhood. Other well known D.C.-area jazz and blues musicians include Charlie Rouse, Pearl Bailey, Shirley Horn, Charlie Byrd, and Jelly Roll Morton. Ahmet Ertegun's college days hanging out in D.C.'s jazz and blues clubs inspired him to found Atlantic Records, a hugely influential label which propelled many African American musicians to national success.
Today, Washington, D.C. remains a vital center of jazz music and culture. With something going on practically every night, the city regularly attracts nationally known artists to its venues. Among the many small to mid-sized area venues for jazz and blues music are the Lincoln Theatre, Blues Alley, KC Jazz Club, HR-57, and Bohemian Caverns.
Opening in 1971, and now recognized as one of the premier performing arts venues in the world, the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (also known as the Kennedy Center) hosts both the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. The National Symphony Orchestra has cultivated its reputation as a world-class orchestra by recruiting top-notch music directors, conductors, and performers. Featuring 100 musicians, it offers nearly 200 performances a year. The orchestra's music selection is diverse, and their performances are consistently fresh and passionately executed. Classical music recording companies frequently select the orchestra to perform recorded works for international sale. The National Symphony Orchestra's compact disks have won several Grammy awards.
Originally known as the Opera Society of Washington, the Washington National Opera became designated as the National Opera Company by a 2000 Congressional act. If you've never been to an opera, the Washington National Opera's expertly executed and ambitious performances are a perfect place to start. Due to the amount of preparation that goes into an opera, the National Opera's performance schedule is less varied than the National Symphony Orchestra's. Whatever is being performed, you're sure to enjoy the opera's grand spectacle and immersive sensory experience.
In the realm of popular music, D.C. has been home to many noteworthy artists, including Marvin Gaye, Patsy Cline, Roberta Flack, Tim Buckley, Joan Jett, Toni Braxton, and Tori Amos. The D.C. area is also recognized as an important location in the development of several punk rock sub-genres, such as hardcore (Minor Threat, Bad Brains) and post-punk (Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan).
Major music acts play at the Verizon Center in downtown D.C., as well as large venues in the surrounding suburbs, such as Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia; the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia; and Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Alternative bands appear at stand-bys like the 9:30 Club and the Black Cat, both of which host a number of shows on any given week. Of course, plenty of other places in and around the city offer all types of musical performances. Performance schedules are easy to find on the Internet.
Serious music buffs may want to take a trip to the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room, which contains an archive of texts and materials related to American music. For many years, the library's archivists have undertaken impressive and important work toward preserving our nation's musical history, and this is where you'll find it. Also, the Library of Congress gift shop sells a variety of exclusive American folk recordings. Titles are as far-ranging as Black Stringband Music, Folk Music from Wisconsin, and Cowboy Songs, Ballads, and Cattle Calls From Texas. For an American music aficionado, the Library of Congress is an incredible resource.
For over a hundred years, music has played a vital role in the culture of our nation's capital. Whether you'd rather take in a performance of Pagliacci, join the crowd at a Beyoncé concert, or jam to The Bravery, Washington, D.C.'s music scene hits all the right notes.
